West Devon Police have welcomed a new face to the role of Inspector - Chris Conway.

Inspector Conway has already set out his policing plan for the West Devon area, to build public confidence by increasing visibility, connectivity and engagement.

Inspector Conway told the Times he is striving to achieve this in numerous ways.

He said: ‘We will be increasing patrols in and around our areas, bringing in ‘red times’, whereby each member of staff leaves a station during peak times of the day, on mobile or foot patrols to help improve visibility.

‘We also have successful social media pages. I’ve created an over-arching Facebook police page for West Devon which I hope will gain traction and engage with our community online. By building trust and confidence in residents, we can gain more intelligence.

‘Devon and Cornwall has received a large intake of officers who are currently training. We’ll be landing seven new staff in West Devon, who are currently going through the training process at headquarters.’

Inspector Conway met with these new officers last Friday.

He added: ‘We’re in a fortunate position, we have a nice demographic. Our residents, on the whole, are lovely people and we’re unique in that we’re one of the largest areas, yet most sparsely populated. I want other sectors of the constabulary to look at us and be impressed at the way in which we work with the public.’

Inspector Conway takes up the position from previous incumbent Mike Warriner, transitioning from headquarters at Middlemoor in Exeter. This is his fifth inspector role, having spent the last six years working as the staff officer to (now retired) Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer and Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez. He brings to the role his specialisms as a public order and safety bronze commander and a tactical firearms commander.

Chris said: ‘These were rewarding roles but I was keen to move back into the community and work with the public again and make a difference in the community in which I live.

‘I want the people of West Devon to know they live in a very safe area, we’re currently the fifth safest area in the country out of the 42 forces. The number of crimes is only 5.1 crimes per square mile per year and the constabulary average is 25 crimes, so we’re five times safer than other areas using that metric. We’re lucky to live in an area that is so safe, with good people and such a strong community.’

He also stressed the importance of reporting crimes when they happen and doing so via the appropriate channels, saying: ‘If someone is in danger or there is an emergency, of course dial 999. If not, dial 101. However, I really recommend the web chat feature on our website where you can report non-urgent crimes to a real person, who can provide advice, contact and a crime number.’